Carter Signs Ethics in Government Act, Creating OGE and Blind Trust Requirements

President Jimmy Carter signed the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, the most sweeping executive branch ethics reform in American history to that point. The law mandated public financial disclosure for the President, Vice President, members of Congress, federal judges, and thousands of senior executive branch officials. It created the Office of Government Ethics to oversee compliance, established blind trust requirements for officials with significant financial holdings, and codified post-employment restrictions on lobbying by former officials.